Monday, January 22, 2007

bench on 22nd and rio grande

EMILY (ACTOR 1) ENTERS THE SCENE.

Emily walks towards 22nd and Nueces, in search of the Moonlight tower. As she approaches, she feels a little silly that she’s passed the metal structure so many times without even acknowledging its presence. However, this story is not about the moonlight tower. It is about her sitting on the bench near the bus stop.

Since she plans on sketching, Emily looks for a comfortable place to sit down. “Great”, she thinks to herself, “The bench is on the sidewalk. Apparently there is construction going on right in front of it.” The bright plastic mesh was supported by rusty poles, creating a rectangular fence around a plot of mud. She tried to get comfortable as she began sketching.

YOUNG MAN (ACTOR 2) ENTERS THE SCENE.

As a young man walked on the cracked concrete sidewalk, he asked Emily, “Excuse me, how long have you been waiting for the bus?”

“Oh! I’m not waiting for the bus… I’m doing a project… But the last bus passed about 15 minutes ago. It wasn’t a Dillo though. You can look at the schedule on that bus pole, over there, to see when it’s coming however.”

“Thanks- good luck with your project!”

“Thanks. I need it.”

YOUNG MAN (ACTOR 2) EXITS THE SCENE.

Emily felt awkward the whole time she sat on that icy bench. She starts to sketch the first thing she sees: the tacky orange fence’s pattern. She tried to move her feet under the bench when people walked by, to help them pass by more easily. She noticed how the only light source (besides the homes) was the moon light tower. The tower didn’t really create a light, but more like a haze as if she was in a dream. Although emergency call box close by, it did not make her feel particularly safe as the sun set. She was tempted to get The Daily Texan from the news stand, but decided against reading it. So far, she had only drawn the overflowing trashcan which strangely resembled the UT tower (Did the designer of the trashcan do that on purpose? Or maybe she was overanalyzing the purpose of the trashcan by then.) She looks up from her work as another man passes by.

OLDER MAN (ACTOR 3) ENTERS THE SCENE.

Older man is carrying CVS bags in each arm. He sees the little Asian girl sitting on the bench, blocking the pathway on the sidewalk. In most cases, he would be able to pass her, but the temporary fence makes the pathway narrower. Older man decides to walk in the road rather than clobbering her in the head with his groceries. Emily, the little Asian girl, is appreciate.

OLDER MAN (ACTOR 3) EXITS THE SCENE.

Emily is ready to leave now. She’s drawn a collage of objects that she’s “interacted” with during her short stay on the lovely bench. She decides to draw a quick perspective of the scene since her camera’s battery is low. She realizes that the bench is in a stupid location, because it’s not even close to the bus stop pole. She leaves before it gets any darker.